DANBURY -- Ned Zachar may have never played a round of golf at Richter Park before this weekend, but it certainly didn't take him long to figure it out.

"It's like playing pool," Zachar said. "You just have to manipulate the ball around the gold course and keep it in play at all times, because at any moment there's a double or a triple (bogey) lurking out there.

"This (course) is one where you really have to manage your way around the golf course, and a lot of times leave your driver in the bag."

And after two days and 36 holes of golf, the limited knowledge Zachar had of the course helped him claim the championship at the 22nd annual Danbury Amateur tournament.

The margin of victory, though, was slim. Zachar shot a two-over 74 in Sunday's final round, giving him a two-day total of 146. That edged the second-place weekend put together by Jason Smith, a tournament regular who took the 2009 title. Smith shot 74-73-147

That one stroke, Zachar said, may as well have come at a time when he was struggling to make the greens.

"Frankly the one on (the 15th hole) I made a 7- or 8-footer for bogey, and that was pretty big," Zachar said. "It's a little par four that goes around the corner. I hit a poor approach shot into the trees, chipped long and two-putted, so I was happy to get out with a bogey."

The women's field was more spread out but not short on drama. Rima Antous, who held a seven-stroke lead entering the final round, took home the title with an 84 on Sunday. Her weekend score of 162 bested Jen Tierney's 167 and Stephanie Ko's 169.

Antous was visibly frustrated after making double bogey on the 10th hole, but she rebounded to sink a 20-foot birdie putt on 11 to get her round -- and her mindset -- back on track.

"It's always a turning point when you ..." Antous started, stopping to accept congratulations from well-wishers. "It's always a good boost to make that one putt."

It wasn't all smooth sailing from there, though. She made double bogey again on the 14th and 16th holes to allow Tierney to get back in contention.

Antous said it wasn't just frustration this time, but instead a combination of frustration and fatigue.

After a quick "pep talk" from a friend and former high school captain of hers, Lisa Maybruch, Antous bounced back again.

"That actually did really keep me going, because I was kind of getting really frustrated," Antous said. "And then I said, `You know what? I got this. I can finish.'"

She was right.

Right after the talk, she sunk another 20-foot putt to make par on 17, then made par again on the final hole to stave off collapse.

"It feels really good," Antous said of winning her first tournament since graduating from Danbury High in June. "This is the first time I've ever actually played this well in a tournament, so it's a big accomplishment for me."

Al Farrah, Jr. joined Zachar and Antous in the winners' circle by successfully defending his Senior Flight Championship. After tying George Hetson with 158 strokes apiece, Farrah, Jr. won on a second playoff hole.

"I missed a birdie putt on the first playoff hole that I thought I might've made," Farrah, Jr. said. "It didn't go, but I got him on the second one, and that's all that counts."

Ray Underwood, who shot 71 on Sunday to claim the lowest round of the weekend, won the Men's First Flight with a total of 154 strokes. Samantha Steichen, a rising senior at Danbury High, won the Ladies First Flight with rounds 92 and 101, beating out Michelle Bellinger's 105-96-201.

Winners aside, the beauty of the weekend -- the 70s-and-sunny weather as well as the course and tournament itself -- didn't escape the men's victory.

"The camaraderie and the spirit surrounding the tournament is fantastic," Zachar said of the event, which raises money for Family & Children's Aid in Danbury. "I'll be back next year. For sure."